Car coupling



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'Feb. 19,1929.

CAR COUPLING Filed Dec. 29, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet Feb. 19, 1929.

J. c. WHITRIDGE cm courflme.

Filed Dec. 29, 1,926 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented Feb. 19,1929.

1,703,049 PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN G. WHITRI'DGE, or "COLUMBUS, 01110, ASSIGNOR TO THE BUCKEYEs'rEELcAs'r mos COMPANY, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO.

I CAR COUPLING.

Application filed December 29, 1926. Serial No. 157,724.

This invention relates to the buffer ele' ments of automatic carcouplings and has for its objects the provision of a structure whichwill furnish a bufiing surface of. greater area than has been heretoforeattained and also reenforce eitherthe guard arm or the knuckle side ofthe head or both sides of the head of the coupler. The invention isillustrated in the accompanying drawings and will be here.- inafterfully set forthand particularly defined.

In thedrawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view of a car coupling showingone embodiment of the invention,

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the coupling head with the buffer orstrike plate in section,

Figure 3 is a' bottom plan view, I

Figures 4, 5 and 6 are views correspond ing to Figs. 1, 2 and 3,respectively, but showing another form of the invention.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, 1 designates the head of anautomatic coupling, and 2 designates a portion of the draft rigging inwhich the shank 3 of the coupling is mounted in the usual manner. Thedraft rigging carries a striking plate 4 which may be mounted in anyapproved manner but preferably has its front formed on a simple curvewhereby it presents a convex surface 5 from end .to end. The couplerhead is formed with the usual buffing surface, as 6, on the rear wall ofthe lock housing. I

According to the present invention, ribs 7 are formed on the exterior ofthe guard arm side and the knuckle side of the coupling head, and theseribs, at their rear ends, merge into laterally extending buflingshoulders 8 at the sides of the shank 3 of the coupling. said shoulderspresenting concave surfaces to the convex surface of the striking plate4. The ribs 7 extend generally longitudinally of the coupling head butconverge slightly rear wardly and the striking shoulders 8 are slightlyin the rear of the striking surface 6,

and it will be noted that the ribs not only.

sustain the striking shoulders 8 but also reenforce the guard arm andthe knuckle housing so as to resist deformation and fracture thereof.The invention also provides a broad rib or reenforcing plate 9 on thebottom of the coupling head at the center thereof which terminates in astriking surface 10.

It will be observed that the area covered vertically by the ribs 7 isthatincluded within the usual lines of the head so that the form of theinvention which has been described may be said to retain the generalstandard of the automatic coupler. In the form shown in Figures 4, Sand6, the central rib 71 corresponds in all respects to the central rib 7of the bottom of the rib or reenforcing plate 100, the striking area ofsaid housing and said rib or plate being extended laterally to mergeinto the shoulders 80, as shownclearly in Figs. 45 and 6, so that thereis a continuous uninterrupted striking surface the full width of thestructure. N I-Ieretofore, the rear wall of the lock-housing was theonly buifingsurface on the head and the striking casting, consequently,received bufling forces only at a point above the level of the couplershank. The buffing surfaces of the coupler and the striking casting wereparallel with each other and at right angles to the longitudinal axis ofthe car. It

hasalso been the practice to arrange draft stops and gear travel. on newcars so that, under conditions of buff with maximum gear travel, therewould. be a small amount of clearance between the rear of the lockhousing and the front of the striking casting. In

service, due to wear and unavoidable defor-- mation of the draftelements this clearance margin is gradually eliminated with theresultthat a certain portion of the bufling forces are dissipated through ablow of the coupler horn or lock housing against the striking casting.

In switching cars on tangent tracks with the coupler in a centralposition and the knuckles open, the sidewalls of the lock housing whichtransmit the buffing forces to the striking castin g are able to performthis duty the ca )acit i oi the draft 'eai' the guard arm oi thecoupling with the open knuckle and the these di'lliculties and avoidsthe describeddamages.

Having fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is 1; The con'ibination with a striking plate,of the coupling head of an automatic car cou- )lingprovided on itslateral sides respectively with laterally projecting longitudinallyextendingribsteri'ninating at their rear ends in. lateral verticallyextending buliing. shoulderscooperable with said strikil'ig plate.

2. ln' builing means for car couplings, the COIIllJlDalQlODM/lthastriking plate of an automatic coupling head provided at its rear endon its lateral sides withlateral bufi'er shoulderscooperable with saidstriking plate, vertically spacedlaterally projecting ribs on thecouplinghead at' respective sides oi the rearportionthereof'andprojecting respectively'in opposite directions'rromsaid head, saidribs being disposed between the body o-fthe coupling headan dsaid. shoulders amlreiniiorcing the latter, alock housing risingfrom the coupling head and providing a vertical buliing face betweensaid buffershoulders cooperable with said strikingplate, and'a member onthe bottom of the coupling head aiiording a buffingilace between saidbuffer shoulders cooperable with said striking plate.

'3. 1nbuilingi'ineans for car couplings, the combination with a strikingplate, of the coupling'head of anautoniatic coupling provided with alateral verticalbullershoulder at'its rear end at each lateral sideol'thie coupler shank coop'era-ble with saidstriking plate; a lockhousingrising' from the coupling head and attending a bufler facebetween= said shoulders cooper-ablewith said striking plate, the upperend'oi thever-tical shoulder being on a plane with the'top o't' ithelock housing andn'ierged'witlrthe rear wall of said housing, andvertically spaced ribs on the lateral sides of 'the head'and convergingrearwardly to merge" into and reenforce the respective buffer shoulders.v

In testimony whereof, Ihave signed this specification J G. lVl-IITRIDGE.

